A recreational vehicle such as a motor home, camper or boat, or concession trailers, food service trailers, etc., must, by necessity, carry everything the occupants need onboard. This means that food, water and waste is carried on the vehicle until the occupants are able to re-supply provisions and discard the wastes. Food is physically carried onboard, dry waste is carried out while wet waste is pumped or drained into appropriate sanitation facilities. Water must be transported in one or more tanks on the vehicle and must be refilled as required. Traditionally, water tanks on a recreational vehicle are filled with a hose. The end of the hose is placed into the fill neck of the tank while the person filling the tank holds the hose and waits for the tank to fill. If the process is not watched carefully (for example, the person leaves to do something else), the hose may slip out wasting water and creating a mess, the tank may overflow or, if something has been used to keep the hose from slipping out, the tank or fill neck may rupture or other equipment (such as a gauge mechanism located in the tank) may be damaged.
What is needed is a safe and secure device and method of filling tanks on, for example, recreational vehicles that does not require a person to keep watch over the process and while also ensuring that water is not wasted and no damage occurs to the tank or tank components.